The packaging industry is at a crossroads. As new packaging sustainability laws take hold across North America, the call for circular solutions has become a necessity rather than a choice.
Read MoreTherese Umerlik
Sterile Packaging Day Celebration Assists Fire-Ravaged California
May/June 2025
Sterile Packaging Day united the medical packaging community under the theme, “From Foundations to Futures.” The in-person celebration took on additional significance because volunteers and donors helped to replenish local blood supplies for fire-ravaged communities in the Los Angeles area.
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Summer Internship Program Returns for 2025
May/June 2025
The Emerging Leadership Council’s summer session starts in June 2025 for eight weeks. It includes a presentation on the Flexible Packaging Association’s “State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry” report, a career panel discussion, and industry speakers. On alternating weeks, students can connect in small group discussions on topics they choose.
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For Nearly 70 Years, FPA’s Awards Competition Has Captured Excellence
May/June 2025
Since 1956, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has hosted the annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition, celebrating the industry’s most groundbreaking innovations and advancements.
Read MoreChallenging Winter Gives Way to Hope for Breakthroughs
May/June 2025
The focuses of this issue of FlexPack VOICE® are breakthroughs anticipated in legislative advocacy and the innovations of FPA’s Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition winners.
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FPA Looks for Opportunities in Second Trump Administration
Flexible Packaging Association Tackles Issues from Labeling to Food Waste
April 30, 2025
Early in a new year is typically a busy time for the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) as it tries to stay on top of proposals coming out of state legislatures. But this winter and early spring also had FPA’s advocacy team members navigating wild swings on the federal level.
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Diversity Is Part of Evolution at the Flexible Packaging Association
Leaders Note Milestones With Encouraging Women and Diversity in the Industry
April 30, 2025
As the Flexible Packaging Association celebrates 75 years since its founding this year, female industry leaders find equal opportunities are available for all.
Read MoreFPA Tariff Newsletter Offers Links to New Developments
The Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA’s) biweekly tariff update includes some practical links to online information about recent developments with trade initiatives. The April 22, 2025, newsletter notes that the tariff landscape continues to shift, making many new developments quickly outdated. But the newsletter, which is only available to FPA members, provides useful links, including: The […]
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Tariff Expert Tells FPA Audience to Continue to Expect Turmoil
FPA Benefits Members With Up-to-Date Tariff Tracking
April 24, 2025
Tiffany Smith from the National Foreign Trade Council cautions people who are tuned into a recent webinar on tariffs that her presentation could quickly become obsolete.
Read MoreDeadline Extended for Oregon EPR-Related Reports
The Circular Action Alliance (CAA) says it achieved a key milestone on March 31, 2025, with the conclusion of Oregon’s first producer supply reporting cycle under the state’s Recycling Modernization Act. But the producer responsibility organization (PRO) is extending the deadline for companies that have not yet filed their reports in an effort to lower […]
Read MoreTOPPAN Deal to Buy Sonoco Products Flexibles Business Moves Forward
Tokyo-based TOPPAN Holdings Inc. recently completed its purchase of the thermoformed and flexibles packaging (TFP) business of Sonoco Products Company. As part of this transition, TFP will now operate under the TOPPAN name, with its financial results reported in TOPPAN’s living and industry segment. Russell Grissett, president of Sonoco Flexible Packaging and chair of the […]
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FPA Launches Trade Working Group and Newsletter on Tariffs
Working Group Will Guide FPA’s Tariff and Trade Monitoring Efforts and Engagement
April 10, 2025
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has recently begun producing biweekly updates on trade policy, not only to track shifts in tariff rules but also to establish an informal trade working group to advise FPA on how to respond to changes.
Read MoreFPA Names New Board Chair and Directors
Russell Grissett, president of Sonoco Flexible Packaging, was elected as the new chair of the Board of Directors of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) based in Annapolis, Maryland. Grissett succeeds William “Bill” Jackson, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Amcor Flexibles, who served as chair from March 2023 to March 2025. David Love, senior vice president […]
Read MoreTraining on the Mechanical Recycling of Flexible Packaging Set for April 29
The Association of Packaging Recyclers (APR) plans an in-depth training program that will explore the systems and processes involved with the mechanical recycling of flexible packaging films. The course titled “APR Design® Training & Tour for Flexibles: Interactive Session on Film & Flex Recycling and Package Design” will be held on April 29, 2025, in […]
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Timeline, Storybook, and Videos Mark FPA’s 75th Year Anniversary
FPA's History Demonstrates How It Has Provided a Voice for the Flexible Packaging Industry
March 27, 2025
The Flexible Packaging Association focuses on industry growth, professional development, and networking opportunities, all at a time when plastic packaging has to indicate why it is a better alternative than other packaging forms.
Read MoreOben Group to Expand With Deal in Brazil
Oben Group has agreed to buy Vitopel do Brasil Ltda., a manufacturer of polypropylene (BOPP) films with facilities in Brazil. For Oben, the acquisition will establish local BOPP manufacturing in Brazil, expand its footprint as a global player in the industry, and bolster its position in the highly competitive flexible packaging films industry, according to […]
Read MoreProAmpac Takes Highest Achievement Award in FPA Annual Contest
Thirty-four achievement awards representing 20 packages were presented March 7, 2025, during the69th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition, which included a Highest Achievement Award that went to ProAmpac. Overall, the contest included 67 package submissions, resulting in 226 entries, because some packages competed across multiple categories, according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) that […]
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Business Groups Oppose PFAS Proposal in New Mexico
Measure Is Overly Broad and Restrictive, Opponents Say
March 13, 2025
Nearly 50 business associations, including groups representing the plastics and flexible packaging industries, recently endorsed a letter opposing a bill in New Mexico that would heavily regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Read MoreManufacturing Unemployment Rate Hits 2.9% in February
The jobless report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a continuing tight labor market in manufacturing, with the unemployment rate in the sector hitting 2.9%. BLS reported in the first week of March 2025 that 456,000 people were unemployed in the manufacturing sector in February, which compares to 450,000 people in February […]
Read MoreUFlex to Expand Plastic Bag Plant in Mexico to Serve Pet Food Markets
UFlex, an India-based flexible packaging company, intends to invest $50 million in a manufacturing plant in Mexico to produce woven polypropylene (WPP) bags for markets in North and South America, according to a recent company report. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 80 million bags that will help meet the rising demand […]
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